Hallgrimsson Names Max O'Leary in 21-Man Squad — West Bromwich Albion Fc
West Bromwich Albion FC goalkeeper Max O'Leary was named in the Republic of Ireland squad for the Grenada friendly, giving the club a place in Heimir Hallgrimsson's latest international group. Ireland will face Grenada at the Estadio Nueva Condomina in Murcia on 16 May at 17:00 BST.
Hallgrimsson's 21-man squad
Hallgrimsson named nine uncapped players in a 21-man squad, with O'Leary listed among three goalkeepers alongside Josh Keeley and Killian Cahill. Seven players were included in the Republic of Ireland squad for the first time for the Grenada friendly.
Jaden Umeh was one of them. The 18-year-old was called into the senior setup for the first time after making his senior debut for Cork City in November 2023 aged 15, then joining Benfica in July 2025 and becoming part of their U23 squad.
Umeh and the new faces
Hallgrimsson said of Umeh: "He's a high potential player and it will be exciting to work with him and see where his limit is," and also added: "From what we have seen with the youth teams and the clips from Benfica, he is one for the future. Is he ready for the first team? We'll just have to wait and see."
He also said of the wider group: "They are names we have been looking at so it's a great opportunity for us to see them, and for them to show what they can do." The squad is mainly made up of players from the Championship or League One because the EFL regular season is over, while players involved in the EFL play-offs or based in the Premier League, Scottish Premiership, League of Ireland or other major leagues will be available later in the month for games against Qatar and Canada.
Murcia on 16 May
For West Bromwich Albion, O'Leary's inclusion means the club has a goalkeeper in an Ireland camp that is being used to look at new options before those later fixtures. For Ireland, the immediate test is Grenada in Murcia, with Hallgrimsson using a squad built around players he has been tracking and a batch of first-time call-ups.
